Skip to main content

tv   The Daily Rundown  MSNBC  May 30, 2014 6:00am-7:01am PDT

6:00 am
"politics and prose." what did you learn, thomas? >> i'm reupping my "gq" subscription. >> what did you learn? >> i learned too much about mike barnicle's cd collection. >> i learned that burt bee's got screwed up there in maine. >> and the one direction international tour dates, which is bizarre. >> and whether they're going to be in seoul. and of course general shinseki just had a press conference, talked about making major changes. doesn't sound like he's going anywhere. to get all the information on that, stick around because chuck todd is next. have a great weekend and as always, my friends, thank you for your patience. ♪ shinseki speaks just moments
6:01 am
ago. the embattled v.a. secretary apologized and said he's firing the top leaders in phoenix. we also learned he'll have another one-on-one meeting with his boss, the president, in just over an hour. he's still on the job this morning despite an ever-growing list of democrats saying he should go immediately. we'll talk to one of them in a few minutes. also, the ugly senate primary in mississippi and a quirky california contest for governor and some races down the ballot. the main event for this tuesday's big primary action. and as henry waxman gets ready to hang it up in l.a., an almost endless red carpet of celebrities have picked sides in the 18-person pack that wants to succeed him in representing beverly hills. we'll talk to one of those 18 today. >> good morning from washington, it's friday, may 30th, 2014. this is the last "daily rundown" of may. we have a lot going on today.
6:02 am
the latest developments out of the white house and out of the varchl v.a. the president will meet with general shinseki this morning. at the same time, general shinseki said he is working to fix the problems at the v.a. and not to hand it off to somebody else. it's his first conversation that dozens of facilities may have been manipulating their record. he described the problem as systemic, calling it a problem of integrity that he simply did not understand. >> and i can take responsibility for it and i do. so given the facts i now know, i apologize as a soonier le iesen the department of veterans affairs but i also know this, that leadership and integrity problems can and must be fixed
6:03 am
and now. >> he outlined some new steps that he will be taking to try and fix the problems if he's allowed to stay on the job, including ousting the leaders of the phoenix hospital that started this mess. shinseki's remarks come as the political controversy surrounding the v.a. is reaching critical mass. it's a feeding frenzy frankly. the administration knows they have to do something. they can't afford to look like they're dragging their feet and hurting their party. in part of an interview that the president gave to kelly ripa and michael strahan that aired this morning for gma but it's really for the show "michael and kelly," the old regis show as some of us call it, the president indicated he hasn't made up his mind. >> i'll have a serious conversation with him whether he thinks he is prepared and has the capacity to take on the job of fixing it. because i don't want any veteran to not be getting the kind of
6:04 am
services they deserve. >> when it comes to the current situation, the inquiries and the investigation and some of the allegation, the president wants to see the results of these reports. and he, as you know, made clear that he believes there ought to be accountability once they establish all the facts. >> so clearly he's in trouble. the president is not sticking by him and not saying he's sticking by him per se. but at the same time the number of lawmakers calling for shinseki to step down continues to grow. we now have that at 114 and more than half of those are house republicans. but it's the number of democrats that has to be of concern to the white house. the number of senate democrats calling for shinseki to resign has more than doubled in the past 24 hours, from 5 to 11. the most recent to join the list is virginia senator mark warner, tom udall, tim kaine, mary landrieu. all but two on the list are up
6:05 am
for reelection this fall. and five democratic candidates have indicated they'd like shinseki to quick. but there is one notable exception, speaker of the house john boehner. >> the question i ask myself is is him resigning going to get us to the bottom of the problem? is it going to help us find out what's really going on? and the answer i keep getting is no. >> but within the administration, shinseki's support is beginning to erode. >> i'm not going to get into general shinseki's future. i'll leave that to others. >> make no mistake the task is daunting. the latest report from the v.a. inspector general shows the number of medical facilities under investigation has gone from 26 to 42, but even in the
6:06 am
best of times there's been questions about whether the v.a. has grown too big to manage effectively. the vha seems to not take management suggestions from the political leadership in washington, and right now there are nearly 22 million veterans in the united states, nearly 9 million of them are enrolled in the v.a. health care system. it's a system that includes more than 1,200 v.a. vet centers, hospitals and outpatient clinics. bottom line is this -- the administration knows they have to make a change. they have to do it soon. probably before the d day anniversary next week, probably before the president leaves for europe on monday, but to do that they have to have a plan b or even a plan c and right now they don't have eitherin o ione. they don't know who would replace shinseki, even on a temporary basis. and that's why right now general shinseki still has his job. >> joining me now, congressman,
6:07 am
good morning to you, sir. >> good morning, chuck. >> you've heard the news reports of what general shinseki said this morning on the firing of those top officials. i -- is this enough for you to maybe back off your resignation ask of the general? >> well, first of all, those developments are all positive things we've been asking for, but i think it's important to keep in mind, chuck, that this isn't about secretary shinseki. there's not a question about his character and his service to this nation. it has been impeccable. the question is how do we restore trust amongst our veterans and the american public. for me it's been very obvious, this is a top priority for me as a veteran, as a member of that committee that there need to be changes. the interim report from the inspector general is inexcusable. i know as a military person changes in leadership change the tone of where things are going. so secretary shinseki has done honorable work.
6:08 am
i can tell you the trust among the veteran community has been damaged. we need to make sure what happened in phoenix is corrected but as importantly, we need to make sure those systemic issues inside the v.a. are corrected also. and that's why it's not an easy decision, but the decision has to be focused on the veterans. >> let me play a little more what general shinseki said this morning and get you to respond to it. >> i've initiated the process for the removal of the senior leaders of the phoenix v.a. medical center. [ applause ] we will use all authority at our disposal and force accountability among senior leaders who have found to have instigat instigated, tolerated or followed inresponsible sk scheduled irresponsible scheduling procedures. we are contacting each of the 1,700 veterans in phoenix
6:09 am
waiting for appointments to bring them the care they need and deserve sand we will continue to accelerate access to care for veterans nationwide who need, it utilizing care both in and outside of v.a. >> congressman, it's been an entire month we've known about the situation in phoenix. it seems to be this feels like too little too late. >> all of those suggestions are positive and a step in the right direction. but giveagain, chuck, just two nights ago we had the hearing and i'm still having trouble getting information i need from the v.a. it's a culture that is so overly cautious, it becomes almost paranoid. instead of seeing us as lawmakers and folks on the committee as part nners with th to improve the care, it becomes a chore just to get basic information. we can't plan going forward, you can't formulate a strategy as leaders here on the hill without that information. so i applaud the moves, they certainly needed to be done, there certainly is more that has
6:10 am
to happen, but i can tell you that it's just a sense of frustration that for the public to hear this, whatever, our committee has been asking for much of this information for quite some time. chairman jeff miller has done a wonderful, professional, ethical job. but the point being here is we've asked for months. >> you say for months, but we've known for years. candidate obama talked about this, nancy pelosi brought up the issue when democrats were trying to run the house in '06. problems at the v.a., particularly mismanagement problems at the v.a. have been known for years. i ask you how are we six years in and this is like a problem that this administration knew was a problem -- maybe not this specific one but management issues, there for certain was a problem when they took office. >> and i want to be clear, chuck. i represent the area that has
6:11 am
the mayo china linic. folks there will tell you the minneapolis v.a. is one of the best in the world. quality care in many cases is world class. but there are issues where there are more nurses and physicians put on the floor or were there more middle management people? i am proud of the record, whether it be the gi bill or adding more veterans with agent orange claims into the system. but if one veteran waits for care, you're not going to be able to get credit for that until we attempt to make it. there are huge issues that we move forward on but this one stymies it. that's what frustrates me, chuck, is all that good gets overshadowed when that happens. and the bad here are able to taint the good work of the thousands of other v.a. employees who are every day
6:12 am
going to work to support our veterans. there are a lot of people criticizing the v.a. who have never used one, never worked at one. but those of us like myself who have been involved in this issue for decades understand you have to keep moving forward. i think on the issue of management, it's time for to us do a different approach. >> i was just going to say because one of the things i've heard, particularly about the political appointees is that veterans groups have a lot of influence on who gets picked for some of these jobs and that patronage and special interests end up clouding and this happened during the bush years and this happened during the obama years, which is the people for those next level down political appointee positions are ones that are about pleasing an interest group, not necessarily about vetting their management resumé. >> well, i think there is some truth to that. we have many fine political appointees who have served in both the bush administration, previous administrations and that one. but some of them to be honest
6:13 am
with you, they know they're going to outlive this administration, they're going to outlive members of congress and it happens in some of these agencies, they set up their own little world and simply run it that way. the v.a. is not a monolithic agency. some are producing good results, others are not. that's a fair critique. we have to look at it. it goes over to the ambassador picks, if you will, that as a nation we have thought in that. >> professionalism in some places is a top priority and in some places it's a political payback. congressman, thanks for your time this morning. >> thanks, chuck. >> coming up, we have voting in eight states across the country. we have your primary preview coming up, including the mississippi mess that could put the state senate seat on the map in november. then there's the iowa senate
6:14 am
race, which as you can see on today's planner makes you feel like you're having a flashback because guess who's campaigning in iowa this morning -- mitt romney! he's not there for himself, though. he's campaigning for candidate joni ernst. i swear, this is 2014, not 2012. we'll be right back. this is mike. his long race day starts with back pain... ...and a choice. take 4 advil in a day which is 2 aleve... ...for all day relief. "start your engines"
6:15 am
but with less energy, moodiness, and a low sex drive, i had to do something. i saw my doctor. a blood test showed it was low testosterone, not age. we talked about axiron the only underarm low t treatment that can restore t levels to normal in about two weeks in most men. axiron is not for use in women or anyone younger than 18 or men with prostate or breast cancer. women, especially those who are or who may become pregnant, and children should avoid contact where axiron is applied as unexpected signs of puberty in children or changes in body hair or increased acne in women may occur. report these symptoms to your doctor. tell your doctor about all medical conditions and medications. serious side effects could include increased risk of prostate cancer, worsening prostate symptoms,
6:16 am
decreased sperm count, ankle, feet or body swelling, enlarged or painful breasts, problems breathing while sleeping and blood clots in the legs. common side effects include skin redness or irritation where applied, increased red blood cell count, headache, diarrhea, vomiting, and increase in psa. ask your doctor about axiron. trwith secure wifie for your business. it also comes with public wifi for your customers. not so with internet from the phone company. i would email the phone company to inquire as to why they have shortchanged these customers. but that would require wifi. switch to comcast business internet and get two wifi networks included. comcast business built for business.
6:17 am
back now with the big tdr primary preview. while there are more states on the ballot than there were on may 20th, there are fewer competitive races. but the ones that are on the ballot have become nasty. the marquee race is down to mississippi.
6:18 am
thad cochran is facing off by a tea party senator by the name of chris mcdaniel. blogger clayton kelly was finally arrested after allegedly conspiring to take photo cochran's ailing wife in an alzheimer's unit where she lives. all four involved are expected to appear before a grand jury this summer. mcdaniel hasn't handled it well, come across almost overly defensive and publicly angry. perhaps he's angry because he legitimately has nothing to do with this, but even in his prepared response ad, he came across with a little too much vitriol. sarah palin plans to campaign with his in ellisville, mississippi. after recording a radio ad on
6:19 am
his behalf. >> chris mcdaniel is the type of guy who will fight for us, he will fight for our values. please join me in supporting a true conservative who will be one of the good guy. >> but here's the bottom line. if mcdaniel does win, you may need to put mississippi on the competitive map in november. he's become so angry, it has that murdoch feel to it. cochran and his supporters will have a hard time rallying around mcdaniel. this will linger in a bitter way. and democrats do have a joe donnelly-like candidate as a potential player here, former congressman travis childers. they're pinning their hopes on him as the mud slinging goes on. turning now to another competitive gop primary, it's the race in iowa where joni ernst is the front-runner to replace retiring senator tomahato
6:20 am
tom hawkin. former u.s. attorney matt whitaker in s in this race and others. but it's ernst who has all the momentum thanks in part to that provocative tv ad which got her a ton of endorsements. her campaign also what the feel of a 2012 flashback, if you will. you're looking now at live pictures of an event in cedar rapids, iowa and mitt romney is going to be appearing shortly at an event on ernst's behalf. it's his first trip back to the hawk eye state since the presidential race. meanwhile texas governor rick perry is campaigning for the former u.s. attorney mark whitaker. top republican candidate must
6:21 am
win 35% of the vote, otherwise there is a nominating fight that moves on to a special state convention on june 14th that will consist of about 23,000 delegates. democrats are preparing for the fact that ernst is going to be the nominee to take on democratic congressman bruce brayly in the fall. they are now trying to point out she is too conservative for the state of iowa. they got a bit more material for that campaign in the final iowa senate debate that took place last night. ernst said she would vote against the farm bill, called the clean water law one of the most damaging bills for business ever and spoke out against "amnesty." and she was asked if she regretted this ad after last friday's shooting at u.c. santa barbara. here's the exchange. >> what happened in that shooting and that stabbing is an
6:22 am
absolute tragedy. however, i remain firm in my commitment to the second amendment. i have been endorsed by the nra in this race, and, again, just because of a horrible, horrible tragedy, i don't believe we should be infringing upon people's second amendment rights. >> you wouldn't change the aud r the timing of it or anything? >> no. >> finally, in california who would have thought two years ago in a governor jerry brown would be sailing to reelection? but on tuesday all the competitive action is on the congressional level. 15 candidates are competing in that top state's jungle primary system. the top two regardless of party advance to the november johnson election. the top two candidates on the republican side are tea party favorite tim donnelly and the so-called $700 billion man,
6:23 am
former t.a.r.p. administrator neel kashkari. having a conservative like donnelly at the top of the ticket might not be what they want. it could be problematic for republicans running for congress, and that's why that may matter a little bit. we want to hit all three of those races very quickly. we'll start in california, l.a. reporter, it's good to see you. donnelly kashkari, we know neither one of them will beat brown but they'll be leading the ticket. how nervous are republicans about donnelly? >> we had karl rove say if tim donnelly is the republican standard bearer, republicans are going to have to disavow him.
6:24 am
i have people like darryl issa who don't agree with him, they disqualify him for holding elected office. >> is there any of these statewide offices, a single withone of them where a republican is going to be in control this fall? >> you have two democrats and one republican, the mayor of fresno, who is pretty well regarded. that will be interesting to watch the secretary of state's watch, there are so many candidates. it's hard to see how that's going to shake out. >> is there could be a former republican turned independent that could get throughout the top two. >> yes, dan. >> thank you. it's nice to see you. thank you very much. >> let's move and turn to iowa.
6:25 am
covering the event that mitt romney will be attending shortly, a flashback, campaigning in iowa. the rise of joni ernst has been remarkable to watch over the last 60 days. zin deed. is joni ernst the only primary candidate in america that has the backing of mitt romney and sarah palin? >> exactly. the convergence on her is unbelievable. what do you make of it? mark jacobs is a well regarded republican of that state. >> he came here home rather than texas. i think the turning point in this race is when bruce bayly w -- brayly was outed disparaging senator chuck grassley and farmers. i think that kick started this race. up to that point it was a very
6:26 am
sleepy affairs. mark jacobs, personal little wealthy, poured at least $1.5 million of his own money into the campaign and had been the only person to sprint to the head of this five-person act. then joni ernst touted herself and that castration ad and she has had a streak of good luck ever since. >> very quickly, preview for me brayly and ernst. it seems as though the brayly folks know they've already acquired negative baggage. this is going to be a nasty race. they seem to be focused on trying to define her very quickly postprimary. >> she's already had a million dollars of outside money spent on her on the primary. imagine how much outside money will pour into iowa to support her in the general, number one. and number two, she would be a glass ceiling breaking
6:27 am
candidate, and that is going to attract a lot of attention here in iowa. >> and absolutely. i know the braley folks are very nervous now about this race. henderson, great to see you. enjoy covering a caucus campaign of mitt romney giveagain. >> you got it. i want to go to sam now on the phone. we've talked before. boy, this race, all it's been about is this crazy scandal having to do with the break-in into this nursing home. so let me ask you this -- does mcdaniel still have a chance? >> he still has a chance. like i said before, you know, i've seen his base just really get morin gaue engaged because of this. that's going to help turnout. and if you look at the situation where his base gets out and the cochran base, you know, they're not as excited as the mcdaniel
6:28 am
base is about this entire race, and we're starting to see a lot more coming from the cochran campaign, you know, talking about the urgency for his voters to get out and go to the polls more so than what we've seen, you know, in the last few days. so i think that's clearly one thing they're looking at is turn out here is going to favor mcdaniel just as far as an excitement standpoint. >> let me ask you this, this has obviously been a very bitter end to this campaign. if cochran loses, could you foresee some major mississippi republicans refusing to support mcdaniel and actually supporting travis childers? >> i don't think so. i think that -- as a matter of fact, you've already heard the chairman of the state gop and also senator wicker both say, look, whoever wins this, we're going to get behind them and we're going to move forward. governor bryant actually has a good relationship with mcdaniel
6:29 am
legislatively, so i would suspect that he would get behind mcdaniel, you know, day one. i think that what you would see are some of the political players, some of the key fund-raisers and operatives, you know, they may hold out for a while or, you know, just never get engaged. but certainly it would open the door for a stronger chance for travis childers. >> well, sam hall, you've gotten a lot of material to cover in the last couple of weeks and we know there's nothing more than any of us journalists like than a good story. thanks for your time and i'm sure we'll be visiting again. we have even more primary preview ahead here on "the daily rundown ". the california race where every candidate has a celebrity in their corner. nothing like when beverly hills has an open seat. but first, tdr's trivia question. who was the most recent pennsylvania senator to chair
6:30 am
the veterans affairs committee. be the first person to tweet the correct answer and you'll get the shoutout on tdr in 180 seconds. huh, 15 minutes could save you 15% or more on car insurance. everybody knows that. well, did you know that game show hosts should only host game shows? samantha, do you take kevin as your lawfully wedded husband... or would you rather have a new caaaaaar!!!! say hello to the season's hottest convertible... ohhh....and say goodbye to samantha. [ male announcer ] geico. 15 minutes could save you 15% or more. [ girl ] my mom, she makes underwater fans that are powered by the moon. ♪ she can print amazing things, right from her computer. [ whirring ]
6:31 am
[ train whistle blows ] she makes trains that are friends with trees. ♪ my mom works at ge. ♪ but when we put something in the ground, feed it, and care for it, don't we grow something more? we grow big celebrations, and personal victories. we grow new beginnings, and better endings. grand gestures, and perfect quiet. we grow escape, bragging rights, happier happy hours. so let's gro something greater with miracle-gro. what will you grow? share your story at miraclegro.com.
6:32 am
just take a closer look. it works how you want to work. with a fidelity investment professional... or managing your investments on your own. helping you find new ways to plan for retirement. and save on taxes
6:33 am
where you can. so you can invest in the life that you want today. tap into the full power of your fidelity greenline. call or come in today for a free one-on-one review. live pictures here of the white house. we're expecting secretary shinseki to arrive any minute now. as we told you at the top of the hours, the president will meet with his secretary of veterans affair at 10:15 this morning, where shinseki will present his own independent review that the president asked for last week. this comes as shinseki said this morning that the findings of the i.g. report were totally unacceptable, that a breach of trust took place and he found it irresponsible and indefensible. last time there was a meeting with shinseki, the president
6:34 am
came out alone and put him on notice. does a resignation come this morning? does he ask for it, does he get it? as we said at the top, the issue for the white house is not the decision about whether shin iquique neeek -- shinseki should go, it's about what's your plan b and what's your plan c. coming up, beverly hills has an open seat. we're going to introduce you to one of the group of front-runners in a very crowded jungle primary. tdr is back in 180 seconds. super destinations and do everything under the sun. 12 brands. more hotels than anyone else in the world. save up to 25% and earn bonus points when you book at wyndhamrewards.com. save up to 25% and earn bonus points ameriprise asked people a simple question:
6:35 am
in retirement, will you outlive your money? uhhh. no, that can't happen. that's the thing, you don't know how long it has to last. everyone has retirement questions. so ameriprise created the exclusive.. confident retirement approach. now you and your ameripise advisor can get the real answers you need. well, knowing gives you confidence. start building your confident retirement today.
6:36 am
say "hi" rudy.
6:37 am
[ barks ] [ chuckles ] i'd do anything to keep this guy happy and healthy. that's why i'm so excited about these new milk-bone brushing chews. whoa, i'm not the only one. it's a brilliant new way to take care of his teeth. clinically proven as effective as brushing. ok, here you go. have you ever seen a dog brush his own teeth? the twist and nub design cleans all the way down to the gum line, even reaching the back teeth. they taste like a treat, but they clean like a toothbrush. nothing says you care like a milk-bone brushing chew. [ barks ] several folks are retiring from the house whose combined years add up to a couple of centuries. but only one has produced a primary of epic proportions and it's less than a hundred hours from now. democratic congressman henry waxman is retiring, an old
6:38 am
watergate baby. his district includes santa monica, beverly hills and malibu. it has a median income double the national average. it serves so much of the show biz industry, both where at the live and where they work. voters will get to choose from 18 candidates, and it seems like everybody has a celebrity endorsement of some sort. this is a primary in california's top two system, where the top two vote getters face off in november, no matter what their party affiliation is. we think two democrats will end up here but we don't know. three have pulled ahead of the pack when it comes to raising money. each has raised more than $600,000 since january.
6:39 am
greul spent millions but ended up losing to garcetti. rob reiner, ed begley, jr., they all endorsed her and she got the nod from bim de blasio. but one of her opponents has more experience in the district, and that's ted lew. and just yesterday he got the endorsement of the guy who beat gruel, edwin garcetti. of the three republicans, carr could do well tuesday. carr is an iraq war veteran. former district attorney steve cooley and sheldon adelson. but a relatively unknown is using the internet to bankroll his campaign.
6:40 am
he's not expected to win or come close to the top two tuesday but he also has celebrity endorsements. he's got l.l. coolj, mini driver, former catcher mike piazza, rick pitino. and then there's a spiritual author and lecturer backed by nicole richie, jane lynch, ava longoria and deepok chopra. and she even has alaniz morriset. ♪ unless we start demanding of our union today ♪ >> but a big endorsement recently went to my next guest,
6:41 am
the "l.a. times." "what miller does bring to the john is a keen, analytical mind for bringing down health care costs and reforming campaign finance laws and disclosure." he's a familiar face on this network as a guest and former guest host. he's a columnist for "the washington post" and a radio talk show host. mr. miller joins me now. good morning to you, sir. thanks for getting up early. >> sure, good morning, chuck. >> why do you think a freshman democratic member of congress in the house minority, somebody like you who is, you know, you've got an idea a minute that you put out in your columns, what makes you think you can make much archdifferenof a diff you might be in the minority for years. >> when i look at what paul ryan
6:42 am
has done from the other side on using a position on the house budget committee to move what i call this haollow regressive plan -- my goal is to get a seat on the budget committee. i think i bring the experience and chops to help the democratic caucus very quickly shape an alternative blueprint that moves a common sense, progressive, economically rational agenda to the center of the national conversation in ways that help us not just in 2015 but help shape the debate going into 2016. >> you know, this has been -- there's 18 candidates. i think there's also an official write-in candidate, who has got i think 20 letters in his last name so it's going to be really tough to do well. do you feel like this jungle primary has made it a healthy debate or has it actually made it harder for any one candidate or any set of candidates to even have a proper back and forth about the issues of the day?
6:43 am
>> you know, i think there was a lot of pent-up demand, as henry waxman himself said because he'd held the seat and been a legend for four decades. i guess could you expect there would be a lot of us. what i'm excited about is among the handful of top contenders, i think the los angeles tilmes endorsement has given us a heads up the last few days. if it's a choice between some of the same old political figures who have been around a long time and somebody bringing pressure -- fresh ideas, i think that's what voters want on tuesday. >> explain matt tuz to me. >> my friend said it's such good idea you ought to tattoo it on
6:44 am
your forehead. so the idea of mattoo, we're trying to have fun even as we're trying to bring a message of change and real efforts to get the economy moving. if we want to solve the problems we need to solve, we need independent thinking out of washington. maybe that starts with a mattoo as well. >> we shall see. matt miller, we'll be watching the race very closely. it's a wild affair. good luck. stay safe on the trail and we'll check back in. thank you, sir. >> thank you. >> new fallout this morning from the nbc exclusive interview with nsa leaker edward snowden. and then another leaker, daniel elseberg, he decided to weigh in after hearing what john kerry said to me earlier this week on this show. but first, soup of the day. it's from the famous bramante
6:45 am
brothers sandwich shop. they're serving up vegetable soup today. it is friday. don't want to have meat today. gotta admit one thing... ...can't beat the view. ♪ introducing the world's first curved ultra high definition television from samsung.
6:46 am
i began losing my sight to an eye disease when i was 10. but i learned to live with my blindness a long time ago. so i don't let my blindness get in the way of doing the things i love. but sometimes it feels like my body doesn't know the difference between day and night. i struggle to sleep at night, and stay awake during the day. i found out this is called non-24, a circadian rhythm disorder that affects up to 70 percent of people who are totally blind. talk to your doctor about your symptoms, and learn about the link between non-24 and blindness by calling 844-824-2424. that's 844-824-2424 or visit your24info.com today. don't let non-24 get in the way of your pursuit of happiness.
6:47 am
that's a good thing, but it doesn't cover everything. only about 80% of your part b medical expenses. the rest is up to you. so consider an aarp medicare supplement insurance plan, insured by unitedhealthcare insurance company. like all standardized medicare supplement insurance plans, they could save you in out-of-pocket medical costs. call today to request a free decision guide. with these types of plans, you'll be able to visit any doctor or hospital that accepts medicare patients... plus, there are no networks, and virtually no referrals needed. join the millions who have already enrolled in the only medicare supplement insurance plans endorsed by aarp... and provided by unitedhealthcare insurance company, which has over 30 years of experience behind it. with all the good years ahead, look for the experience and commitment to go the distance with you. call now to request your free decision guide.
6:48 am
we're keeping our eyes of course on the white house. this is a live picture there of the west wing drive exit -- entrance, where we expecting secretary shinseki to arrive any minute now. will we hear from the president like the last time after he met with the embattled v.a. secretary. >> think of its is round two between edward snowden and the nsa. there's a new battle developing over snowden's claims that before leaking classified documents through the media, he tried to raise red flags about nsa practices within the agency itself. on this show secretary of state challenged edward snowden to return to the u.s. to face the music like whistleblowers have in the past. >> you go back to the pentagon paper with dan elseburg and others who fostood and went to e
6:49 am
court systems of americans and made their case. >> well, elsburg himself was watching and decided to respond saying "snowden's own testimony on the stand would be gagged by government objections and the arguably unconstitutional nature of his charges. without reform to the espionage act that lets the court here public interest defense, snoedens and future snowdens will only be able to make their case from outside the united states. snowden told brian williams that there is a paper trail that proves he tried to go through proper channels. >> the nsa has records, copies of e-mails to their office of general council, to their
6:50 am
oversight and compliance folks from me raising concerns about the nsa's interpretations of its legal authorities. >> on thursday the nsa released an e-mail dated april 5th e-mai asks about a mandatory training course asking about the hire hierarc hierarchy, and he says, please give me a call if you want to discuss this further, and no word if he did follow up on the phone. and what is important is the content and the time line and it is the same month that he says he e began to take the documents and according to a interview with the chinese newspaper, he fled this to hong kong in may. and he said it is a simple legal question and not a allegation of wrongdoing or abuse, and the white house says only evidence they have found of an inquiry by mr. snowden. >> the appropriate authorities
6:51 am
have searched for additional indications of outreach from mr. snow snowden, and to date, no allegations to his claims. >> you acknowledge that the whistle-blower protections in the intelligence community are much weaker than any part of government? >> i am not the right person to make that assessment, but what i can can tell e you is that there are ave neurs available to somebody like mr. snowden to raise those kinds of concerns. >> we should note that back in december the nsa told the washington post that there is no evidence at all of snowden reaching out to anyone, and lo and behold they found something, because they said that there are more e-mails out there, but i can tell you that there are no o other sources that any of the colleagues or sources will say definitively anymore communication between snowden and the authorities if this is
6:52 am
constitutional, but this is the only e-mail they say they have found. when we come back, we have the pennsylvania's rising stars and most of you got this trivia, the late senator arlen specter is the most recent senator to chair the veterans affairs committee. ♪ [ girl ] my mom, she makes underwater fans that are powered by the moon. ♪ she can print amazing things, right from her computer.
6:53 am
[ whirring ] [ train whistle blows ] she makes trains that are friends with trees. ♪ my mom works at ge. ♪
6:54 am
my mom works at ge. honestly, the off-season isn't i've got a lot to do. that's why i got my surface. it's great for watching game film and drawing up plays. it's got onenote, so i can stay on top of my to-do list, which has been absolutely absurd since the big game.
6:55 am
with skype, it's just really easy to stay in touch with the kids i work with. alright, russell you are good to go! alright, fellas. alright, russ. back to work! and let's start with the democrats. first up, attorney general kathleen canton was sworn into office as the first democrat and the first woman to ever hold that position. and she was also the top vote getter in the 2012 elections, and in pennsylvania, some of them are held in the presidential year and the off year. and then getting higher numbers that president obama and she may challenge pat toomey in 2016. and another democrat to keep an
6:56 am
eye on is 24-year-old josh shapiro. before leaving the state house to go to the kocounty council where he felt that he needed more influence, and don't count him out. and now to the republican side for the two rising stars. ryan costello is running for the sixth congressional seat vacated by fellow republican jim burrokc. he was named one of the 40 under 40 to watch. he may be someone on the rise. and also dave reid who is the chairman of the campaign committee where he saw his party pick up 13 seats in 2012 and maintain a majority, with sam smith set to retire, reid is likely to make a move into the leadership position and could end up running for governor himself one day. that is it for this edition of "daily rundown." it is a busy, busy friday and we
6:57 am
wait for secretary shinseki to arrive at the white house, and chris jansing will be talking to bernie sanders the chairman of the veterans committee. time for your weekend forecast. it doesn't look too bad in many spots, but the only issues are with thunderstorms in the aft afternoon hour. we will watch those and a few strong storms from the northern rockies saturday and spreading to the northern plains sunday and down along the gulf coast and dealing with the showers and storms from saturday into sunday, and it is going to be a cool weekend in northern new england. and better endings. grand gestures, happier happy hours. so let's gro something greater with miracle-gro. what will you grow?
6:58 am
you wouldn't have it she any other way.our toes. but your erectile dysfunction - it could be a question of blood flow. cialis tadalafil for daily use helps you be ready anytime the moment's right. you can be more confident in your ability to be ready. and the same cialis is the only daily ed tablet approved to treat ed and symptoms of bph, like needing to go frequently or urgently. tell your doctor about all your medical conditions and medicines, and ask if your heart is healthy enough for sex. do not take cialis if you take nitrates for chest pain, as it may cause an unsafe drop in blood pressure. do not drink alcohol in excess. side effects may include headache, upset stomach, delayed backache or muscle ache. to avoid long-term injury, get medical help right away for an erection lasting more than four hours. if you have any sudden decrease or loss in hearing or vision, or any allergic reactions like rash, hives, swelling of the lips, tongue or throat,
6:59 am
or difficulty breathing or swallowing, stop taking cialis and get medical help right away. ask your doctor about experiencing cialis for daily use and a free 30-tablet trial. when we arrived at our hotel in new york, the porter was so incredibly careful careless with our bags. and the room they gave us, it was beautiful. a broom closet. but the best part, / worst part, was the shower. my wife drying herself with the egyptian cotton towels, shower curtain defined that whole vacation for her. don't just visit new york. visit tripadvisor new york. with millions of reviews, a visit to tripadvisor makes any destination better. the most free research reports, customizable charts, powerful screening tools, and guaranteed 1-second trades. and at the center of it all is a surprisingly low price -- just $7.95. in fact, fidelity gives you lower trade commissions than schwab, td ameritrade, and etrade. i'm monica santiago
7:00 am
of fidelity investments, and low fees and commissions are another reason serious investors are choosing fidelity. now get 200 free trades when you open an account. good morning. i'm chris jansing and we begin with breaking news. right now embattled v.a. secretary eric shinseki is headed to the oval office where he is expected to deliver an internal office conducted by shinseki's office. a little over an hour ago in a coalition of homeless veterans, shinseki did not seem like a man ready to give his resignation, but a man with a battle plan. he talked about problems at v.a. facilities and outlined plans to attack them. fir